Jordan warns of 'imminent threat' to Al-Aqsa
Amman convenes emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic nations, fearing Israeli takeover of holy site could ignite wider religious conflict.
Amman convenes emergency meeting of Arab and Islamic nations, fearing Israeli takeover of holy site could ignite wider religious conflict.
Over what it describes as an "imminent threat" that Israel could take control of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Jordan on Monday organized an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim states. Jordan's top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, said on that occasion that Jerusalem had become a "powder keg."
"Jerusalem is a powder keg. We continue to warn the international community of the danger and are taking all legal and diplomatic steps to prevent further escalation," Safadi said, as reported by The Guardian.
The crisis escalated following events on July 23, 2026, when more than 2,000 Israeli right-wing activists, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, entered the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount. The group performed prayers and religious rituals there, which officials in Amman deem the most drastic violation of the existing order in modern history.
As the official custodian of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, Jordan emphasizes that such moves directly breach a decades-old agreement. Under this arrangement, only Muslims have the right to pray within the Al-Aqsa compound and the Dome of the Rock. Authorities in Amman fear that abolishing this regime could stoke a religious conflict whose repercussions would be felt across the Muslim world.
Beyond the flashpoint in Jerusalem, Jordan is also monitoring a potential deterioration of conditions in the occupied West Bank. There are concerns that Israel, ahead of parliamentary elections, could intensify pressure on Palestinians or trigger their mass displacement toward Jordanian territory-a move Amman regards as a "red line."
Additional strain in relations comes from disputes over water. Jordan claims Israel has reduced its water supply, linking that decision to criticism Amman has voiced over Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
As tensions rise over holy sites, Minister Ben Gvir finds himself at the center of another unusual situation. On August 4, 2026, an Israeli court temporarily suspended his idea to surround Ketziot prison with crocodiles. The ruling came after an animal welfare group challenged the proposal, according to i24.
